Tracking dioxins: From chips to finished product

To define current loadings and origins of dioxins contamination at bleached kraft mills successfully using dioxins control technology, samples of chips, brownstock, and fully bleached pulp were collected from such operations and analyzed for dioxins. For comparison, samples from two TMP pulp mills were also included in the survey. Ambient deposition and chips contaminated with polychlorinated phenols appear to be the remaining, low level sources of dioxins affecting some kraft as well as some TMP operations.